The Bellagio casino was robbed by a man in a motorcycle helmet - but was it too simple? Image: Flickr / timparkinson / CC-BY
Metro police in Las Vegas are on the lookout for a man who robbed the Bellagio casino. The Bellagio robbery cost the casino $1.5 million in chips. The robber of the Bellagio may be the same individual who robbed the Suncoast Casino of $20,000 five days ago.
Bellagio robbery was relatively simple
Though the security at Las Vegas casinos is perceived as very good, the Bellagio robbery was surprisingly simple. According to Las Vegas metro police, a 5-foot-10 inch tall man parked his motorcycle at the valet of the Bellagio around 4 a.m. Tuesday. While keeping his helmet on, he walked to a craps table, pulled a gun and demanded chips. The dealer handed over approximately $1.5 million worth of chips. The Bellagio robber put the chips in his backpack and fled the casino on his motorcycle.
Bellagio robber may have robbed Suncoast
The motorcycle-riding Bellagio robber may not have started with the Bellagio casino. On Dec. 9, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet walked into the Suncoast, displayed a gun, and demanded chips from the cashier’s cage. Both robbers also used a black sport motorcycle as a getaway vehicle. The robbery at the Suncoast netted only about $20,000. Police believe that the consistent pattern indicates that the same person committed both robberies.
Was the Bellagio robbery too simple?
The security in large Las Vegas casinos is supposedly “legendary.” This is leaving many people wondering how a man, seemingly working alone, pulled off two large robberies in the space of a week. The Suncoast robbery occurred during a large poker tournament, when security may have been focused elsewhere. The Bellagio robbery, however, was a simple walk-in and walk-out affair that netted $1.5 million worth of chips. Was the Bellagio robbery really so easy to pull off, or is there a bigger plot afoot?
Sources
Star Tribune
Las Vegas Sun
That was just wayyy too easy. The robber went the old school route and got away with it. He made the dudes on "Ocean's Thirteen" look like a bunch of amateurs. You'd think getting away with something like this would take time and a lot of planning, not something as simple as walking in and out. On second note, maybe it's part of a big, inside operation. Who knows…